Global Sport Matters

12/03/2022

"With so many multinational people across the planet, more soccer players now have eligibility to play for several national teams"

As national teams across the globe compete in the World Cup, Leander Schaerlaeckens shares how the globalization of football and FIFA's national team eligibility rules has created a more cosmopolitan than ever before:

FIFA's looser rules around national team eligibility have combined with the globalization of football to create a more cosmopolitan USMNT.

12/02/2022

Similar to Donald Trump's MAGA hats, Brazil's Seleção kit has become a powerful cultural and political signifier of Brazil's right-wing former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Find out more here where Yara El-Shaboury breaks down the details of the political divide in Brazil:

The Brazil national football team has become a symbol of the previous far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, and his political movement.

11/09/2022

"No other mainstream U.S. sport seems to have so many of its most prominent athletes stepping into the political arena, let alone so many with such extremist views. This raises the question: What is it about MMA that lends itself to reactionary politics?"

Find out more here sa Karim Zidan breaks down the MMA to right-wing activist pipeline and explains why MMA fighters are becoming right-wing political activists:

MMA's embrace of outsider fans and right-wing politicians has helped create a wave of athletes activating around extremism and conspiracy.

10/05/2022

With the Supreme Court's reversal of abortion protections with Roe v. Wade, women in college sports lose rights to bodily autonomy and may lose access to higher education.

Sports historian Victoria Jackson explains how restrictions on abortion rights can reduce access to sport and education for women:

The Roe v Wade reversal limits physical freedoms of college athletes where they live and play, and universities must respond.

10/05/2022

"American spending on bikes and components shot up from roughly $6 billion per year in 2019 to $8.2 billion in early 2021"

As more Americans hit the road on their bikes, Noah Frank breaks down how corporations and organizers are trying to make pro cycling more accessible and exciting for these new everyday bikers:

Cycling's organizers and leaders are working to turn millions of new everyday bikers into supporters of professional cycling.

10/03/2022

"The issues that arose in the Global Sport Institute at Arizona State University study – the language we use, and the barriers to access and investment – all stem from ableism"

Learn more here where Yara El-Shaboury details the challenges that disabled athletes face in accessing sport and receiving recognition in the world of sport:

Financial, educational and medical barriers limit participation by adaptive athletes at the amateur, professional and Paralympic levels.

09/25/2022

Don't miss the latest from Jessica W. Luther at Global Sport Matters:

To accurately report stories of gendered violence in sport, media outlets must further education, investment and diversification efforts.

09/24/2022

"The hostility Sampey faced was clearly a tool to get women like her to quit racing, but it instead fueled her success"

Women like Angelle Sampey paved the way in professional drag racing, and in 2022, women are leading three of the NHRA's top four racing classes:

Women have been on a steady rise in drag racing, and this year could see women champions in three of the NHRA's top four racing classes.

09/08/2022

In team sports, there are "middle status" athletes who aren't necessarily the star player or the regular benchwarmer.

Find out more here where Scott Brooks shares how these players often face certain issues and breaks down how to support them through clear communication:

Not every young athlete can be neatly sorted into bench warmer or superstar. 'Middle-status athletes' need specific help from coaches.

08/25/2022

"Whereas the NBA league office’s proactive approach toward diversifying the coach and front office ranks has worked, it’s fair to question the NFL’s commitment to the same"

Find out more here as Shalise Manza Young shares the progress (and lack thereof) among US sports leagues and how consistent focus on diverse hiring will be needed to prevent backsliding:

As rules fail and sport increasingly becomes run by the most wealthy, leadership in major American men's sports is not diversifying much.

08/11/2022

"Hearing from individuals, either those still working in sports media or those who have moved on, offers insight into what it can be like — and what changes are needed"

Through interviews across multiple generations of sports journalists, Anna Katherine Clemmons shares the stories of women working in sports and their unique experiences as a woman in sports media:

These interviews show women in sports media have more opportunities and face less prejudice than they did in previous eras.

08/09/2022

"When it comes to sexism, discrimination, and gendered barriers to career advancement, what has changed for women in sports media over the last two decades?"

Find out more here as Anna Katherine Clemmons breaks down the rise of women in sports media and the challenges that women have faced:

These interviews show women in sports media have more opportunities and face less prejudice than they did in previous eras.

08/09/2022

"What is lost from our understanding of sports when the demographics of the people reporting, writing, and talking about it fail to reflect both athletes and the population at large?"

Columnist Shalise Manza Young explains the importance of diversity in sports media and how having more Black reporters can make for better journalism:

Without Black media, Black athletes' stories can be lost in translation or even outright challenged by those who report the news.

08/05/2022

Masks and decreased stadium capacity weren't the only things that changed due to the pandemic. Reporter access to athletes changed dramatically as well -- for the worse.

Atlanta journalist Ray Glier explains how this made it difficult to tell the stories that connect fans to athletes, from the World Series to the highest levels of college football:

During the pandemic, reporters lost normal access to teams, making sports journalism a worse product for fans connecting to athletes.

08/04/2022

"Sports have always been a mirror of society, and these days, the picture isn’t pretty"

As athletes become more outspoken on political and or social issues, Matt Crossman shares how it's unrealistic to just "stick to sports" and breaks down what this means for sports journalism:

As athletes gain more influence and sport remains a site for social discourse, it's impossible for sports journalism to stay in one lane.

08/04/2022

"American media demographics still do not represent the makeup of the country, let alone the largely Black U.S. sports leagues"

Shalise Manza Young explains how Black athletes' voices and stories can be misunderstood and why Black reporters covering Black athletes makes for better journalism:

Without Black media, Black athletes' stories can be lost in translation or even outright challenged by those who report the news.

07/30/2022

"Journalists and outlets are less likely to present one-sided narratives that center athletes over victims; less likely to advocate moving on from cases as soon as possible; and less likely to minimize violence in a way that effectively erases it from stories altogether."

Investigative journalist Jessica W. Luther shares how gendered violence cases in sports have been reported in recent years, and how diversity and further education helps improve coverage:

To accurately report stories of gendered violence in sport, media outlets must further education, investment and diversification efforts.

07/26/2022

: While gender gaps are nothing new, there is another interesting gap that seems to be lesser known: the stats gap. Stats provide crucial storytelling in sports, which in turn can build awareness, debate, and interest around teams and athletes. A recent article by Global Sport Matters dives into this gap between men’s and women’s sports and details how these missing numbers can also be linked to missing dollar signs. Because, “…if the numbers don’t exist, fans can’t have these conversations with the same level of depth. Writers and broadcasters and pundits can’t tell complete stories. Without numbers, we don’t just lose context. We lose a whole lot of meaning. And we lose a whole lot of history.”

Your Turn: There are a few ways that you can help close the stats gender gap.
1. Support women’s sports leagues, both locally and nationally.
2. Follow independent sports media, who often provide a robust, wide-ranging, and in-depth coverage of women’s sports.
3. Contact your mainstream media outlets to let them know that you want better and more stats for your team.

Help us create lasting change to build the ecosystem around women’s sports for a more equitable future. Read more: https://globalsportmatters.com/business/2022/07/13/lack-womens-sports-data-hurts-product/

07/26/2022

Our Digital Issue on mental health from earlier this spring continues to make an impact across sport.

Thanks to the U.S. Department of State Global Sports Mentoring Program for sharing!

By making mental health a priority, sport and the industry around it have an opportunity to be more safe, inclusive, and inspiring.

07/19/2022

"However, when reporting on American athletes or teams, both Russian and American journalists framed doping more episodically, portraying the scandal as an isolated issue, specific to that athlete accused of doping"

Find out more here where Sada Reed breaks down how coverage of doping scandals provides insight to sports journalism in both the United States and Russia:

A new study shows media shape beliefs on "doping" with words and framing techniques, often reinforcing ideas about why and how athletes dope.

07/15/2022

"Sports talk radio provided a platform, and instant gratification, for anyone who was sitting by a telephone and wanted to weigh in."

Even with advancements in other platforms for sports content, Alex Kirshner shares how sports talk radio has still remained relevant, while still playing an important role for sports fans alike.

Read the full story here:

Podcasts and other forms of digital media have forced sports talk radio to adapt, but they still play an important and popular role.

06/21/2022

"Maximizing return on investment does not exclusively mean revenues for the city. It also can come in the form of local jobs, workforce housing, pay standards"

Find out more here where Dan Fitzpatrick shares ways Nashville can maximize their return on investment of a new stadium for the Tennessee Titans: https://bit.ly/3HSqa2t

Facing a potential voter referendum, Nashville does not seem to fully support funding for a new Tennessee Titans stadium.

06/17/2022

"The reality is that stadiums are not likely to have strong economic impacts – and, as such, are not good candidates for public subsidy"

While advocates argue that stadium funding is a worthwhile public investment, JC Bradbury digs into whether there is a good economic case for stadium subsidies: https://bit.ly/39sZjwT

Here's what anyone debating public financing for a sports stadium needs to know to combat half truths and exaggerations.

06/14/2022

When it comes to 'load management' in the NBA, there aren't any benchmarks or ways to know if players are at risk of injury, which leaves many confused about its definition.

Find out more here as Katie Heindl breaks down the concept of load management in the NBA and the difficulties teams and players face with rest and rehab: https://bit.ly/3tzENBw

NBA load management has become so loaded that it is difficult to make sense of team philosophies or player perspectives around rest.

06/10/2022

"Division I athletes may be the televised face of college sports, but they are not the only ones struggling"

Former Division II tennis player Rebecca Faulkner shares the issues lower-division athletes face when trying to access sports-specific mental health guidance and how more resources are needed to support athletes seeking support with their mental health: https://bit.ly/3HfiqY0

In smaller Division II or III athletic programs, funding and staffing are in short supply for athletes who need mental health help.

06/09/2022

"College athlete unionization also could shift the power imbalances between coaches and athletes that currently make abuse more likely"

As more athletes speak out on abusive coaches, Katie Lever explains the effects of this abusive treatment on an athlete's mental health: https://bit.ly/3NE4hpu

Some mental health challenges in sport are internal or the product of high-level competition, but coach abuse can also be quite harmful.

06/09/2022

"All of us in college sports have to prioritize athlete mental health before we reach (a crisis). The enterprise needs a cultural and architectural shift"

Many athletes in college athletics struggle with mental health. Mikaela Brewer shares 4 ways the NCAA and college athletic departments can better support athletes: https://bit.ly/3wbda2u

06/08/2022

"As mental health has become a larger focus among athletes, many former collegiate and pro athletes ... have made it their profession, launching startups to better connect athletes with mental health resources"

Allison Torres Burtka shares how former athletes are taking ownership of the business of mental health and supporting athletes' minds: https://bit.ly/3ayZvL8

Barriers get in the way of getting the mental health resources they need. Numerous former athletes have taken ownership of the problem.

06/07/2022

"As teams and leagues increase personnel and develop policies around the mental wellbeing of their players, coaches, and staff, a focused treatment plan will be most successful"

Dr. Alisia Tran shares 4 ways to support athlete mental health and the benefits of a personalized approach: https://bit.ly/3Pfk3bx

05/28/2022

"Finding the balance between competing enough to improve, win, and move up the rankings while maintaining your physical health through training blocks at home can be difficult"

Brittany Collens depicts the life of a tennis pro and the mental health challenges they face on the road: https://bit.ly/3wrURYa

In tennis, stress, anxiety and bouts of self-doubt add to the physical toll of traveling the globe and finding places to compete.